ROME. Russian interference warnings in parliamentary elections Italy addressed yesterday on the front pages of the Italian press, following the statements of the former President of Russia, Yuri Medvedevwho called on Europeans to “punish” their “stupid” governments at the polls.

The newspapers Repubblica and Messagero wrote about “Russian interference” and Corriere della Sera wrote about “troubled waters” on the way to the elections. Although his outgoing government Mario Draghi condemned the Russian invasion and supports Kyiv, the eventual victory of the right-wing alliance in the Sept. 25 elections is expected to mark a radical shift in Italian foreign policy in favor of the Kremlin.

Separation

Although the party Brothers of Italy Georgia Meloni supports Ukraine, Matteo Salvini’s Northern League, as well as former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, continue to maintain close ties with Russia and President Putin. Earlier this week, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio accused Salvini of inaction in the face of the threat of a Russian cyberattack on election day.

Meloni, for her part, seeks to reassure voters by convincing them, as well as the Italian establishment, industry, big business and the country’s Western partners, that she is not an extremist and will maintain her stability and Italy’s position on the European continent.

Last week, Meloni released videos in English, French and Spanish, claiming that the Italian right has “condemned fascism to the dustbin for decades,” adding that her party is ideologically closer to the British Conservatives, the US Republicans and the Likud in Israel.

Mussolini is nostalgic

Although the Brothers of Italy cannot be called a fascist party, there are many in their ranks who are nostalgic for Mussolini and the fascist regime. Although Meloni renounced her neo-fascist past, her party retained the fascist symbol of the tricolor flame. Speaking recently at an event for Spain’s far-right Vox party, Meloni showed that she remains true to her far-right rhetoric, highlighting immigration, foreign criminals, Islam and the “gay lobby”.

However, unlike Germany, which has a history of trying to inform and research the Nazi regime, the Fascist period is little studied in Italian schools and universities. Considered a marginal party with 4.4% in 2017, Meloni’s party is expected to take first place in the electorate’s preference in September with 24% of the vote, ahead of former Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s centre-left Democratic Party.